This trip represents the first time that I’ve ever actually lived in a big city. I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy substantial vacations (staying in private apartments rather than hotels) in cities such as London, England and Moscow, Russia, and I’ve visited Portland, OR frequently throughout my life, but this is the first time I’ve gotten the chance to really settle in and experience the full-fledged urban lifestyle. I’m liking it so far, though I can see that Boston is particularly well-suited to my taste.

Ability to do what you want without a car is the key to urban bliss, IMHO. Boston has excellent public transit, and it is also a very walkable city, especially in the summer. I’ve been walking a lot. I find that I’m starting to connect the dots between subway stations and various point of interest throughout the city. It’s really interesting to feel the map forming in my head. As I wander around, I actively try to notice as much as I possibly can. Yet, I find that more details emerge each time I retrace my steps. It’s like my brain just can’t take in all of the details on the first pass, even when I’m actively looking for specific things.

I don’t have a kitchen or a TV, and I haven’t really missed either so far. Other than some video of Powder and Bo, I haven’t watched any streaming video on my computer, either. It’s nice to be able to spend the time I would normally spend on cooking, housekeeping, and mindless entertainment on exploring the city, reading, and reflecting upon my experience instead. While I get lonely sometimes, I certainly haven’t been bored. Last Saturday, I made the first of what will hopefully be many visits to the Museum of Fine Arts (I bought a membership, so I can get in for free any time), and I’ve been to the Skating Club of Boston twice; the first time just to figure out how to get to the place on the bus, and the second to actually skate a public session (more on that experience later).

Pretty much every day after work, I take a walk through a different portion of Cambridge on my way home. I’ve walked from Kendall Square to Central Square, from Central Square to Harvard Square, and from Harvard Square home to Porter Square on different days. Last Sunday, I walked from Central Square to Cambridgeport to visit the Good News Garage (owned by Click and Clack, the NPR Car Talk guys) . Last night I met up with one of my roommates from college for dinner at Scampo, a trendy new restaurant in the recently opened Liberty Hotel, which is a converted jail house built in the 19th century. Tonight, I walked north from Kendall Square and along Cambridge Avenue in Cambridge to the Lechmere T station and back down to Kendall Square, stopping for dinner at the Cambridgeside Mall food court. When the weather starts getting worse, I plan to go to more shows (theatre, dance, etc.) and lectures.

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